On February 12th an off-duty sergeant walked into the M & M Lounge and Restaurant in Gresham and shot and killed his wife, two of her friends, and, ultimately, himself. To my count this was the eighth murder-suicide in Oregon and Southwest Washington since November. At the same time the headlines are filled with other stories detailing domestic abuse. Oregon football player LaMichael James was arrested for grabbing his girlfriend around her neck and throwing her to the ground in a parking lot. An Oregon assistant attorney general, Susan Gerber, was accused of punching and strangling her longtime partner. And Milwaukie detective Thomas Garrett was accused of assault in the presence of children.
Why are there so many cases of domestic violence in the news right now? Is it, in part, because of the economy? What is driving people to hurt others in this way?
Local experts stress that more people do not abuse because of a bad economy. But they do admit that people who do abuse, or who have abusive tendencies, might be more inclined to violence when they lose their job or their money gets tight. Limited financial resources can also hinder people from leaving abusive situations. Abuse, therefore, can become more lethal when times are tough.
Do you see that correlation? What's your response to the many stories of domestic violence in the news? How does the recession affect the way you, or your family members or friends, act? Are you a person who has suffered from abuse? Or who has a history of abusing? How have you seen the economy affect your actions?

Cities are leading the way in the greening of America’s economy. From urban parks and farms to microgrids and living buildings, dynamic urban planning can adapt to changing coastlines and severe weather delivered by a volatile climate. But there’s a risk that green-living innovations become solely the domain of a privileged urban elite. On today’s show we hear how issues from transit to housing to jobs are all affected by our changing climate, and how states like California are working to ensure that everyone benefits from a greener economy.

According to the latest numbers, Portland is no longer one of the tightest rental markets in the country. But with a 5.2 percent vacancy rate, it it can still be tough to find an affordable apartment or home for rent in Oregon's most populous city. The statewide rate — 6.1 percent — remains among the nation's lowest. The national average is 8.7 percent and only nine states reported lower vacancy rates than Oregon's in the fourth quarter of 2012.
While a limited rental market can create opportunities for property owners, rising rental costs put a strain on renters, particularly if they are low-income.

Over the last few months, Think Out Loud has traveled around Oregon to explore the broad question of what makes rural economies thrive. From the high mountains of eastern Oregon to the central Oregon coast, we met fascinating people in old and new industries — all trying to make the best living they can in relatively small and sometimes isolated communities. In this show, we'll bring you the highlights and some favorite moments, but you can hear the entire series — plus stories from OPB news on the same subject — here.

In his last State of the Union address — entering a reelection year — President Obama spent a lot of time talking about jobs and the economy. He also laid out an array of policy proposals with varying degrees of follow-through. This year's speech is expected to build on the progressive tone of his second inaugural address while focusing on issues that may play to the strengths of some of Oregon's Congressional delegation.

Every week we gather a few local commentators to talk about some of the stories of the week — from the arts to sports to politics and more. Our guests tell us what they're thinking about and we ignite the conversation.
The idea is to get a casual, but thoughtful, conversation going about the events and subjects that are being discussed in the cubicles, kitchens, and coffee shops of our region.
This week we're talking about remix culture, the Nobel prize in physics, and the economics of underwear.

Wednesday Morning UPDATE: Mitt Romney won primaries in Virginia, Vermont, Massachusetts, Alaska, Idaho and Ohio. Rick Santorum North Dakota, Tennessee, and Oklahoma. Newt Gingrich won the primary in his home state of Georgia.
It's Super Tuesday! Ten states across the country will be voting or caucusing for their favorite Republican presidential nominee today. But some people are calling this Not-So-Super Tuesday, especially compared with 2008 when 24 states held primaries or caucuses on the same day. But to that, Slate has this response:
We'll find out what our friendly local political analyst, Jim Moore, thinks of this year's results. And we'll get into the local political news — including the candidate filing deadline for the May primary. That deadline is 5 p.m. today (Tuesday). That's when we'll find out who's in the race for Attorney General, Treasurer, and a number of state legislative seats (to name a few).
Of course, Oregon's 34-day legislative session also just wrapped up. And President Obama held a news conference, for the first time since October, talking about the economy, gas prices, Iran and Afghanistan, among other topics.

Governor Kitzhaber is about a year into his third term as Oregon governor. He's already made headlines and a bit of controversy with the announcements of a hiring freeze and a moratorium on the death penalty. As the 2012 short legislative session begins, we sit down with Kitzhaber to ask him about his priorities for the legislature and the issues lawmakers will tackle, including the budget, health care, education and public safety. We'll also get his reaction to the new OPB/DHM Research poll about how Oregonians are feeling about the economy and other issues — and we'd like to get your questions in as well.

Problems in the sub-prime mortgage industry and the Dow Jones closing below 12,000, have prompted many financial experts to say the country is in the first throes of recession. But in Oregon some say the economy is relatively well insulated from such problems.

Many Oregon businesses breathed a sigh of relief Friday after hearing the House of Representatives had passed the $700-billion bailout bill. But those businesses don’t expect the economy to rebound quickly.